Earlier this month, Social Media Examiner’s podcast talked about how to determine your ROI. Nichole Kelly, author of How to Measure Social Media and the CEO of Social Media Explorer and SME Digital explained that there is an issue with measuring ROI in terms of ‘return on influence’ or ‘return on engagement because ultimatelyROI is defined by a financial return.

So instead of measuring number of likes and retweets, Kelly recommends measuring social media like pay-per-click advertising and determining the simple cost per click on web traffic being directed back to the site from social. This concept is especially useful when you’re convincing a numbers-focused client or C-level executive to invest in social.

We’ve rounded up the top 9 tips from the Third Wave Fashion panelists for you:

1. Research and find analytics tools that fit your needs and budget, and stick with them for at least six months to understand if the tools is the right fit

2. Aside from Google Analytics, try Curalate to track Pinterest and Instagram analytics, as well as Sprout Social for Social Media Management

3. Go outside the industry for inspiration. A few of the panelist’s favorites include Oreos, Skittles, and Taco Bell.

4. Use the same hashtags (make them Evergreen) from successful campaigns so they become quintessential to the brand. For example, even after Bergdorf’s #BGWindows Instagram Challenge concluded, fans continue to use the hashtag

5. Pinterest and Facebook win for driving sales for brands. Pinterest sells because users pin with the intent of getting inspired and potentially shopping. Facebook sells simply because it’s well ahead of the curve in terms of metrics and ad targeting.

6. Organic success on Facebook is all about understanding and staying up to date on the algorithm that dictates which posts are seen. At the moment, Facebook photos albums and posts without links are more engaging than posts with links or single images.

7. Allow for spontaneity. Off the cuff posts that remain true to the brand are often the most successful

8. When in doubt, panelists agree that content around shoes, puppies, liquor, beauty, the President, or wishing a popular celeb Happy Birthday are recipes for getting fans “talking about you,” particularly on Facebook

9. So what about Vine? It’s about taking offline, online. The panelists were particularly impressed with Vine user, Pinot. Think of Vine as visually authentic, whereas Instagram glorifies a moment.

For more insider tips, find the full recap of the Third Wave Fashion panel here!

With more than 300 fashionphiles gathered at Milk Studios (@milkstudio) for the Independent Fashion Bloggers Conference (#IFBCON), it’s no wonder that brands like J Brand Jeans (@JBrandJeans), Lyst (@Lyst) and Lifebooker (@Lifebooker) were thrilled to partner up with IFB to host, connect and establish mutually beneficial relationships with bloggers. Below is a recap on how these brands designed spaces that were interactive, valuable and engaging.

Shop, Shoot, Share

To celebrate the launch their ready-to-wear collection, J Brand Jeans hosted an interactive “Style Showdown” using hashtag #JBrandIFB. Bloggers raided a wardrobe of the latest and most coveted J Brand pieces for a chance to win a $1000 gift certificate. With countless bloggers curating creative looks, the friendly J Brand team had an opportunity to genuinely interact with bloggers both live and online (and during and after the conference). @JBrandJeans Twitter stream received a ton of activity as both the brand and bloggers shared their favorite new products and lookbook-esque photos. The top nine looks from the IFB conference were selected to enter the official “J Brand Style Showdown” on Facebook, which is currently live. Vote for your fave look here. Kudos to J Brand’s marketing and social media team for paving the way to authentic blogger engagement.

Charge up the Value

To ensure bloggers could tweet, tumble, pin, share photos, post and so forth without fear of losing battery life – Lyst hosted an essential charging station that ensured attendees could stay connected throughout the conference. By creating a space that was valuable – bloggers swarmed to the Lyst station to learn more about this social shopping site that helps you discover the best fashion in one uber-customized stylefeed. If fact, Lyst’s new affiliate program, Blog Connect, is all about adding real value to bloggers. By connecting their sites to Lyst.com, bloggers can post outfit and shopping stories and link products on Lyst.com or simply add items they love and earn money whenever shoppers buy them.

Make it “Worth” it

Every year, the hot button question is “What are bloggers worth?,” Lifebooker joined a panel of successful bloggers from Glamour, Denimology, I Spy DIY, Corporette, and La Carmina in leading the conversation about brand and blogger partnerships. Lifebooker allows members to discover exclusive health and beauty deals and book discounted online beauty appointments based on price, location and rating. As an emerging concept, the brand is seeking new partners and influencers. So how can bloggers get noticed by brands that are looking for strategic partnerships? Lifebooker’s Brand Director, Lauren Tesar, looks for blogs with “flexibility, credibility and scalability”. To learn how each panelist monetized their blog, find the Livestream recap here.

The IFB conference sparked a host of new relationships between bloggers and brands. The key to these partnerships are finding bloggers that are on brand for your vision and making sure to approach blogger relationships with experience-rich opportunities, customization and authenticity.

4. The strategic Oscars fashion partnership between The Washington Postand Polyvore has the industry buzzing. Here’s how it works: “From now until the big event on Feb. 26, the Post will ask readers to create “sets”–Polyvore’s version of a fashion inspiration board–visually expressing who should win best picture or what a particular starlet should wear to the ceremony. The top selections will be interspersed with Oscars coverage on the Post’s website, and one winner will have their own Q&A featured in the newspaper.” – via Adweek. Read more.

5, “We are fashion purists and we believe in the runway show. This online experience will replicate the pureness of a live runway show, the only thing this doesn’t give you is the glass of champagne. Bring your own” says Ed Filipowski, KCD Co-President. With New York Fashion Week around the corner KCD Digital (in partnership with King & Partners) has found a virtual remedy to relieve press and buyers of over-booked schedules through a digital fashion show platform. PRCouture.com has the details, read more.